Celebrating ten years of St Joseph’s Mews

By One Fell Swoop Managing Partner, Christopher Rooke: 

It was my pleasure to attend the 10 Year Anniversary Celebration of St Joseph’s Mews on Tuesday evening — one of inner-city Melbourne’s most remarkable retirement communities, nestled in the leafy suburb of Hawthorn. 

Around 100 residents, guests, VMCH board members and senior executives gathered for what was a lavish cocktail event, itself just one highlight in a month-long program of celebrations marking a decade since the doors first opened. The warmth in the room was palpable, and a testament to the community that has been built within those walls. 

Where our journey began

For One Fell Swoop, the St Joseph’s Mews story started some three years before the development opened, when VMCH was still known as Catholic Homes. From those early conversations, a genuinely extraordinary project took shape. Working alongside Project Director Simon Sloan, Architects Edgar Pirrotta and Damian Oswald, and Interior Designer Margie Bromilow, the team set about creating something Hawthorn had never seen before. Built by Buxton Constructions, St Joseph’s Mews was conceived and delivered as a premium retirement development that set a new benchmark for the sector. 

The bones of the place are extraordinary. The community is centred around an 1830s pre-gold rush church (one of Melbourne’s earliest) with part of the community spaces occupying a beautifully restored 1920s schoolhouse. Soaring ceilings, heritage textures and five levels combine with premium fixtures and fittings throughout. And perched at the top: the first rooftop sky deck of any retirement community in Melbourne, offering sweeping views back across the city skyline. There is simply nowhere else like it. 

A campaign to match

With a development of this calibre, the marketing had to be equally ambitious. What followed was one of our most iconic photoshoots: images that captured the lifestyle, the warmth, and the sophistication that St Joseph’s Mews promised. (See our gallery of campaign imagery below.) 

Those images anchored a high-impact campaign that resonated immediately with the market. Off-the-plan sales followed at an exceptional rate. Together, the OFS marketing effort and the Catholic Homes sales team delivered a strong outcome: 90% of units sold by practical completion, with the balance of stock absorbed shortly thereafter. It remains one of the standout sales performances we’ve been part of. 

A personal note

I’ll admit this project holds a particular place for me beyond the professional. When my own mother decided it was time to make the move to a retirement community, St Joseph’s Mews was my very first recommendation. 

She moved into a stunning corner apartment and spent her last few years there — forging new friendships, enjoying the lifestyle, and being wonderfully supported by Community Manager Robyn Pulford and her dedicated team. To see the community she became part of still thriving ten years on, and to celebrate that milestone alongside the people who call SJM home, was something quite special indeed. Congratulations to the entire VMCH team on this incredible milestone. Here’s to the next decade. 

Discover how Chris and the OFS team can make your project a success.

Get in touch on 0418 101 000 or chris@ofs-2024.stagesite.io